Vehicle Chase Speeds Through Wheeling

Driver Crashes SUV Into House While Fleeing

September 23, 2013

A harrowing vehicle chase on Interstate 70 and through the East Wheeling area this morning ended when the driver of an SUV crashed a vehicle into a house on Baltimore Street

However, the driver then ran from his vehicle, sending city police, deputies and a K-9 unit on an extensive search through city streets. At 11:30 a.m., the suspect had not been apprehended.

Article Photos

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger and several first responders check out a stolen vehicle that crashed into a house on Baltimore Street this morning after a high speed chase on Interstate 70.

Photo by Scott McCloskey

The suspect reportedly had been driving a vehicle stolen Sunday night from Monroe County, Ohio.

The chase began when numerous law enforcement agencies attempted to stop the speeding Ford Excursion that was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-70 at about 10:30 a.m.

The truck reportedly struck a vehicle in the Wheeling Tunnel before exiting onto W.Va. 2 and driving into the Goosetown area of East Wheeling. That's where the vehicle crashed into a house at 1218 Baltimore St. The Wheeling Fire Department responded to the crash scene to secure the building.

At one point, the suspect drove onto the city's jogging trail at Tunnel Green.

A door-to-door search was initiated in the Goosetown area and along McColloch Street in East Wheeling. A K-9 unit also was put into service, searching the wooded areas along the jogging path and the area where the vehicle crashed.

The suspect was described as a white male with dirty blond hair wearing a gray hoodie and a hat. Police suggested the suspect may have been barefoot as they found shoes in the front seat of the crashed vehicle.

Police notified nearby schools and child care facilities to initiate lock-down procedures during the search for the suspect.

One person went to a local hospital but it was unclear how the person was injured or the extent of the injuries.

At press time, police were searching the 14th Street area after a resident reported seeing a man fitting the suspect's description attempt to break into a building. The suspect then was reportedly seen on 12th Street.